For Sale By Owner Yes Or No

Never in the history of real estate has the market ever been this bad. As it continues on a downward spiral one wonders if we will ever rise above this mess that has been created by banks driven by greed. Any one wanting to sell their home questions themselves more than once whether the time will ever be right for them to turn a profit and make another move.  Should you be a "for sale by owner" individual?

Would it even be wise to take on the venture of listing your home without the help of a realtor? Commissions are definitely negotiable and the average is calculated at 6% of the selling price. When you compare that to a $200,000 home, you are looking at a savings of $10,000 ... an attractive chunk of change to put back in your pocket.

Let's face it, we all know no one really needs a real estate agent to sell your home. No one knows your house, the neighborhood and schools better than you do. There are Assist To Sell and For Sale By Owner websites available to help you through the process and you can set up your own open houses how often and whenever you want and your real estate attorney can draw up a sales contract.

Many homeowners think they can get as much for their home without help and also negotiate the sales price on their own. However, you don't want to throw your broker out with the bath water just yet. A reputable, experienced agent can increase a property's exposure more efficiently than the homeowner with access to the MLS (multiple listing service) and Realtor.com. They most certainly can protect you from legal liabilities that arise during the home-selling process and are much better equipped to suggest the RIGHT listing price, which generally set by a homeowner ends up killing many a deal because the seller can not be objective. Home prices have been affected dramatically by foreclosures ravaging communities across the country and there are too many variables one needs to know that are used in determining a homes true value.

Convenience is a pretty major factor for deciding to use the multitude of services a realtor can provide. They can handle all of the hassles so you don't have to: show your home when the buyer is hot so you don't have to change appointments, rework your childs schedules or, your lifestyle, negotiate a price better because they do it all the price, order the appraisal and inspections with reputable partners they use all the time, answer objections on the spot you may have no idea how to handle, they can re-stage your home to make it more attractive and bring qualified buyers already approved for financing right to your door.

Do you go it alone or, use an agent? The commission savings is a swaying factor that's for sure but, unless you devote as much time to the process as an agent would and factor in all the marketing and advertising backed by their company ... will you really come out on top?